Snare-drum muffler.



M. WAEGHTLER. v SNARE DRUM MUFFLER.

APPLICATION I' ILED JULY 15,1909.

948, 1 95. Patented Feb. 1, 1910 ,Hwma WM INVENTOR.

Nomi; WazchZZe-rr M 5m 2gb k RAJ 1Q ATTORNEY.

EL-a- I EE- MORITZ WAECHTLER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SNARE-DRUM MUFFLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

Application filed July 15, 1909. Serial No. 507,748.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Monrrz WAnorITLnR, citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Snare- Drum Mufflers, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in mulilers for snare-drums;and it consists in the novel construction of muffler more fully setforth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective of a snare-drum showin myinvention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is "an enlarged elevation of thetake-up device showing my invention in position; Fig. 3 is an enlargedvertical longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4c is anenlarged front view of my attachment, showing the lever arm of thetrigger swung to position to raise the yoke olf the bearing which guidesthe takeup, the latter being omitted; Fig. 5 is a face view of thetrigger; Fig. 6 is an edge view thereof; and Fig. 7 is a perspective ofthe yoke, controlled by the trigger.

The object of my invention is to provide the ordinary snare-drum inwhich the snares or strings generally under tension and bearing againstthe bottom membrane of the drum may be instantly loosened or have theirtension relaxed so as to mufile the sound of the drum. Such mufiledsound is desirable on various occasions especiallyin bands or orchestrasplaying Indian pieces, where the tension on the snares must bemomentarily released to give the drum a tom-tom efiect.

The invention herein presents advantages better apparent from a detaileddescription thereof which is as follows z- Referring to the drawings, 1)represents the drum body, a, a, the snares or strings engaging thebottom membrane of the drum, and t the tighteners for the drummembranes, as usual and well understood in the art. The fixed ends ofthe snares a are secured in position in any well known manner, theopposite or adjustable ends being passed and gripped between theclamping plate 1 and the cross head 2 carried at one end of theadjustable tubular member 3 of the snare take-up device, said member 3being guided in a bearing 4 projecting from the peripheral wall of thedrum body. The tubular member 3 is interiorly screw-threaded, and isengaged by the relatively stationary rotatable screw-stem 5 theunthreaded portion of which passes through a bearing or bracket 6carried by the drum, any inward movement of the screw-stem being limitedby the annular shoulder formed between the stem and its outer enlargedterminal head 5 which is provided with a cross-bar or handle 7.Interposed between the crosshead 2 and bearing lis an expanding spring8.

The foregoing details are already well known in the art and I do notclaim them in the present invention.

It will. be seen that by unscrewing the stem 5, the member 3 will bedrawn away from the stem by the expanding action of the spring, thisoutward movement of the member thereby relaxing the pull or tension onthe snares, thus destroying the snaring effect of the drum and mufliingthe action of the latter. To unscrew the stem 5 however, for purposes ofreleasing the member 3 and inullling the drum is a very slow operation,since a number of turnsmust be given the stem before a sufficient slackcan be imparted to the snares. To accomplish this release suddenly thatthe drum may serve as an accompaniment to music requiring mullied ac-'in notches n, a, cut in the rear edges of the side wings of the yoke,one end of the spindle terminating in a suitably bent arm 12 by whichthe cam may be properly manipulated. The arm 12 is spaced suflicientlyfrom the cam or lobe so as to leave a slit 3 for the free passage of theadjacent side wing of the yoke, during the oscillation of the arm andconsequent rocking of the spindle 11. The object of forking the lobe 10is to allow for the free passage of the stem 5 between the fork members,the latter straddling the stem when oscillated to a position foreffecting release of the yoke and the head 5 resting on it.

The screw-stem 5 with its adjustable tubular member 3 and the snareclamping crosshead 2 may be collectively termed the takeup device, thatis, the device for taking up any slack in the snares; and as a take-upit may be considered as adjustable or extensible being that it can belengthened or shortened according as the stem 5 is unscrewed or screwed.In practice the lever arm 12* is swung againstthe drum (Figs. 1, 2, 8)this movement oscillating the lobe or cam 10 so as to cause its freeedge to bear against the bracket or bearing 6, and bring the cam into aplane at right angles to the upper surface of the bracket. In thismovement the cam necessarily picks up or raises the yoke 9 off thebracket, the raising of the yoke (which engages the shoulder at the baseof the head 5) drawing the take-up after it, compressing the spring 8,and tightening the snares a. If the snares are not tightenedsufliciently, their tension may be increased by giving the stem 5 asutiicient number of turns to further draw the member 3 toward it asobvious. The drum is now snared, and if the drummer desires to muffleit, he can do so instantly by simply oscillating the lever arm 12outwardly, this action serving to swing the cam or lobe 10 intoparallelism with the plane of the supporting surface of the bracket (3,where pon the yoke 9 loses its support (cam 10) allowing the spring 8 toexpand, in which expansion it pulls the takeup after it, thus releasingthe tension on the snares, and the drum is instantly mutlied (dottedposition Fig. It may again be as quickly snared by oscillating the arm12 back against the drum so as to permit the cam to separate the yokefrom the bearing 6 (Figs. 1, 2, S, 4) thus again drawing the take-up inproper direction to compress the spring and tighten the snares a. Thelobe 10 or course is not properly speaking a cam but it acts as a cam,because as the free edge thereof braces itself against the bearing (5 itstraightens out as itwere, and lifts the yoke off the bearing, the yokein turn picking up the take-up (Fig. A cam, however, would be a fullequivalent of the lobe 10. The lever arm 12, lobe 10, and spindle 11 actas a controlling trigger for the take-up, the latter being released by amovement of the trigger in one direction, and raised by a movement ofthe trigger in the opposite direction.

I-Iaving described my invention, what- I claim is 1. In combination witha drum-snare takeup, a bearing for arresting the movement of the take-upin one direction, an oscillating member interposed between the bearingand take-up for moving the latter in the opposite direction, and meanswhereby the oscillating member may be actuated.

2. In combination with a drum-snare spring-controlled take-up, abearingfor guiding said take-up, a head on the latter for limiting the movementof the take-up in one direction, and an oscillating cam interposedbetween the bearing and head of the take-up for moving the latter in theopposite direction by an oscillation of the cam in one direction.

8. In combination with a drum-snare spring-controlled adjustabletake-up, a bearing for guiding said take-up, a head on the latter forlimiting the movement of the takeup in one direction, and an oscillatingcam interposed between the bearing and head of the take-up for movingthe latter in the opposite direction by an oscillation of the cam in onedirection.

4. In combination with a drum provided with a bracket or bearingprojecting from the wall thereof, a screwstem passing therethrough andterminating in an enlarged head, a yoke straddling the bearing andinterposed between the head and bearing, a rock-shaft supported in theside walls of the yoke and provided with a bifurcated lobe adapted tostraddle the stem, an outer terminal lever arm for rocking the shaft andoscillating the lobe whereby by an oscillation of the lobe in onedirection the yoke is lifted from the bearing and the stem moved withthe yoke, and a member movable along the stem and secured to the snaresof the drum, the parts operating substantially as, and for the purposeset forth.

5. In a snare-drum muiller, a U-shaped yoke having notches formed in theedges of the arms thereof adjacent to the bases of the arms, arock-shaft engaging said notches and provided with a laterallyprojecting member operating between the yokearms, and a terminal leverarm at one end of the rock-shaft, in combination with a bearing and areciprocating snare-take-up having a stem passing through said bearing,straddled by said yoke, and terminating in a head resting on the yoke,substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with a snare take-up disposed along the body of thedrum be tween the heads thereof, a trigger positioned at the free end ofthe take-up adjacent to the drum-head, and suitable cooperating meansbetween the trigger and take-up for drawing the take-up and tighteningthe snares by a movement of the triggel in one direction, and releasingthe takeup and relaxing the tension on the snares by a movement of thetrigger in the opposite direction.

7 In combination with a spring-c011- trolled snare take-up disposedalong the m in-Mam...

body of the drum between the heads thereof, snares by a movement of thetrigger in the a trigger positioned at the free end of the oppositedirection. 10 take'np adjacent to the drum-head, and suit- In testimonywhereof I aflix my signature, able cooperating means between the triggerin presence of tWo Witnesses.

5 and take-up for drawing the takeup and MORITZ WAECHTLER.

tightening the snares by a movement of the Vitnesses: trigger in onedirection, and releasing the EMIL STAnnK,

take-up and relaxing the tension on the Jos. A. MICHEL.

